Act 3, Scene 19
7th of the 8th Cycle
It took two days for the army to prepare. They needed to know which men were loyal to the army and which men were loyal to the traitor clans.
Thankfully, most of the soldiers have grown to be more loyal to their generals thanks to the war. And it seemed that many were just as angry as their officers were at the thought that their own clan heads had betrayed them.
Kamisato Akikazu was correct, his men chose him over Lord Ayato. Hiiragi Hiyori had to hang some of his more disobedient subordinates to solidify his own control. As for Sara herself, the loyalty of her troops was rock solid. Two years of constant war have taught them to trust her judgement over their own.
Not everything went smoothly however, for there was still the omnipresent threat of the Shuumatsuban. The Shuumatsuban was a paramilitary organisation under the Yashiro Commission, but more importantly, under Kamisato Ayato. No one except for Lord Ayato knew all the members of the Shuumatsuban, that was how secretive the group was.
Thus, there was the very real chance that there were Shuumatsuban agents already posted in the army. It would take weeks, if not months for Lady Mona to interrogate every soldier in the army, so that was out of the option. Thus, they had to use a more rudimentary fix.
Every soldier must be accounted for at all times, all messenger ravens must be in the rookery. And all ravenry officers must be trusted men. All letters that come in and out must be checked, even if it means invading privacy.
With that, they sailed at first light, 60,000 men returning to their homeland not as victorious heroes, but as an invading army.
12th of the 8th Cycle
The Konda Clan was one of the most powerful clans in Inazuma, even if they weren't Commissioners. In fact, the Konda were far richer than the Kujou, and perhaps even the Kamisato.
And the Konda heir, Konda Yoshida, was absolutely loyal to the army. With his help, they landed unseen west of Konda City, under the cover of darkness. Fearing being spotted, the army was force-marched over to the city and managed to enter it at first light.
Immediately, the city was placed under martial law and locked down. The clan head, Konda Densuke, was rather uncertain, but bent over nonetheless.
The next day, the four divisions split up. The 1st Division remained in Konda City and will begin moving towards Inazuma City when all the other divisions report success, the 2nd headed for Amakane City, and the 3rd for Port Ritou. The 4th Division was made up of Kamisato men, and was headed for Hasu City, the seat of the Kamisato.
There was no going back now.
14th of the 7th Cycle
Surrounded by land and sea, Port Ritou was placed under siege. Hiiragi Hiyori tried to 'betray' the army and enter the city, but its gates remained closed. Assaulting the city was out of the question, Port Ritou was home to many of the men in the 3rd Division, and they would mutiny if they had to aim cannons and catapults at their own home.
General Nagamasa had no choice but to besiege the city.
15th of the 7th Cycle
The Amakane Clan were vassals of the Kamisato, and they ruled the prosperous Amakane City on Amakane Island west of the Byakko Plain. They were also traitors, and have been buying Delusions from the Fatui.
Fortunately, Amakane City did not have walls. So under the cover of darkness, General Takeichi ferried his 2nd Division over and marched it into the city just as the Sun was rising. Denizens could only watch as 10,000 men marched through the city up to Saiten Castle, the seat of the Amakane.
Lord Amakane saw the writing on the wall, and surrendered himself into their custody on the conditions that none of his family be harmed. Lord Amakane's second son was in the 2nd Division, and tried to kill his own father, luckily he was stopped.
19th of the 7th Cycle
The Hakushin were one of the most powerful clans in Inazuma, also the oldest. Theirs was the blood of the kitsune, magic flowed within their veins. Their lands were extensive, for under the shadow of Mt. Yougou were the vast Hakushin Plains, its soil purple with magic. The Hakushin domain sat between the Konda and the Kamisato, stretching from Mt. Yougou to Byakko Bay in the south. They were also a reclusive clan, and only one member of theirs served in the army.
Hakushin Chiyu led the 4th Division through the Chinju Forest, which was split in two by the Chinju River. The western side fell into the domain of the Hakushin, while the east were in Kamisato lands.
When they crossed the river, Chiyu's heightened senses noticed rustling in the trees, and dark shadows flitting overhead. Shinobi.
She told Kamisato Akikazu to continue towards Hasu City, she would stay behind with 700 Hakushin cavalry to act as a rear guard. Akikazu was perplexed, but followed her lead.
That night, Hakushin Chiyo spoke to foxes.
Next morning, the Sun's light still blocked by the dense trees of the Chinju Forest, the Ninja Village of the Shuumatsuban woke to an unbelievable sight. 700 Hakushin cavalry thundered through the woods, led by red foxes.
Perhaps in assassination and information gathering the shinobi of the Shuumatsuban were unparalleled, but what chance did they stand against cavalry at full tilt?
None.
As their hidden village burned around them and as they fell under the hooves of armoured horses, they could only think, how did 700 men stay hidden from their sight in their own backyard?
Don't underestimate the magic of the last kitsune-blooded clan in Inazuma, was the Hakushin's answer.
20th of the 7th Cycle
Lord Ayato wasn't home, and Lady Ayaka opened the gates of Hasu City. In front of Hasu Castle, Kamisato Ayaka fell to her knees before Akikazu, and admitted to covertly aiding the Sangonomiya rebellion, as well as having ties to the Crux Fleet.
She was brought into custody.
21st of the 7th Cycle
It was another night in the 3rd Division camp, when a hooded figure entered its bounds. They were quickly captured and sent to General Nagamasa. They were revealed to be the daughter of the Hiiragi clan head, Hiiragi Chisato, and she admitted to her father's wrongdoings.
She said that she has loyal men posted at the gates, and when the army approached the gates would open. General Nagamasa wasted no time.
By dawn, Port Ritou would be occupied by the 2nd Division, and Hiiragi Shinsuke in chains.
Act 3, Scene 20
25th of the 7th Cycle
The citizens of Inazuma City watched from their storefronts and windows as tens of thousands of soldiers marched through the streets in perfect lockstep.
They were the best of the best, the 1st Division, bled through years of constant war. They were always the first into battle and the last out, led by the famous General Kujou. They were champions, returning home from a victorious war.
And yet there were no cheering crowds, no fireworks, no atmosphere of victory. For the faces of the soldiers were grim, for the columns of men showed no signs of their great victory in their postures. Indeed, they did not look like a returning army, but one marching out to another war.
So the people stayed out of the way, the doushins that were meant to uphold order in the city kept their heads low and stayed out of sight. Thus when the army crossed the Great Bridge Tenshukaku, not even the Okuzumeshuu stopped them. And when they were at the very gates of Tenryou Castle, the Kujou guards lowered their heads and let the general's men through.
In the courtyard Kujou Kamaji tried to demand what was going on, only to be put in chains by his own sister.
As Kujou Sara burst into the main chamber with her retinue, the clan head Kujou Takayuki ordered his personal bodyguard to defend him. Loyal to the last, they did so, fighting back against the attackers.
When the last of them died, Kujou Takayuki was put in chains, and Kujou Sara declared herself regent of the Kujou Clan, and provisional Tenryou Commissioner until the Shogun dispenses divine justice.
Author's Note:
Somewhere, somehow, this story turned from 3rd person POV to 4th person POV. Whoops. Sorry, but I wanted to try my hand at this kind of writing, and expand on Inazuma's worldbuilding. I'll talk more about that in the 'Notes' section.
Don't worry, next chapter will be the last of this kind of 4th person scenes, and will also be the conclusion of Act 3. After that, we'll get back to proper 3rd person scenes.